Iraq: Kurdish Peshmerga Forces To Join Iraqi Army

[ECH1969]

Enrolment has begun in Iraqi Kudistan for the first Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to join Iraq's national army. The recruitment represents the completion of the first phase to create a special brigade within the fourth division of the Iraqi army. Peshmerga is the term used by Kurds to refer to freedom fighters, and literally means "those who face death".

The agreements reached in the last few months will see some 32,000 former guerrillas join the ranks of Iraq's new armed forces, said Jaafar Mustafa, a member of the Peshmerga leadership, but "so far only one brigade has been set up", whose members come from the Sulaymaniya area.

Mustafa also pointed out that "the accords also establish the creation of a special Peshmerga brigade in the Karmiyan region near the disputed northern city of Kirkuk. The detachment is already ready, but we are waiting for the defence ministry to issue an official constitutional decree," he said.

The Peshmerga fought alongside US troops in northern Iraq during the 2003 Iraq war and since then have taken on a security role in the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. There are estimated to be between 80,000 and 100,000 Peshmerga fighters in the north of the country.

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Security&loid=8.0.193259602&par=0

[bemildred]

1. I just thought of it, maybe we can have an Iraq-Turkey war out of this? nt

[xchrom]

2. it's more than possible.

the attacks in turkey may become fewer -- but they aren't going to stop.

iraq at some point will be the party held responsible by the turks.

once the u.s. goes -- turkey will cross the border to find pkk.